Saturday, May 23, 2020

by Cowboy Bob SorensenWhen a pet passes away, many owners feel profound sorrow. After all, it is not just an organism, but a member of the family. I am struggling to write this. The problem is compounded for us because on May 20, 2020, we had to take that awful trip to the vet and also my sister-in-law passed away. I will not discuss her for the sake of family privacy and to guard against trolling.

One of my best pictures of her was impulsive and is actually in color and unmodified.She was giving me that loving look that touched my heart so often.

Looking and Remembering

When she was small, we would play Furry Slipper. She would latch onto my foot with claws and teeth, then I could sweep the bare floor.
That stopped when her play became too enthusiastic and a bite gave me pasteurella. I also see the big stuffed animal that my wife got her for Christmas one year and how she would smurgle and make with the boomerang ears.

Walking through the apartment, I stop and picture where she used to
be. Sleeping under the table and using a lower rung as a pillow. Laying
on her back in the living room as a sign of trust and affection. Snoring
on my wife's bed, other times looking at me like I was
fascinating.

She took over the recliner and would give a look as if to say, "Mine. Get your own." Cats do that. Picturing her using the food bowls on the kitchen floor and the filtered water fountain. Sitting next to me on the couch while I did my Bible reading and petting her with one hand (which I did on her last day). Purring loudly with her mouth open. Hissing and swatting at the vacuum before making a dignified retreat. Some people would say that I am giving human characteristics to an animal here, but the cat would give us loving looks that we found so very touching.Something black on the floor that I catch out of the corner of my eye and turn to look out of habit. Shoes. I gotta cut this out before I cause myself to have hallucinations.

A Unique Cat

Most pet owners probably think their critter is something special, and they are probably right. You can see individuality in animals of many kinds. This was a smart cat and had a great deal of personality. Basement Cat is not the name she was originally given. I did not like failed rapper name she was given, Payshintz, and picked up on the internet mythology of Basement Cat. (It was unfair to portray black cats as evil, but many images were funny. I made a few myself.) She responded to other things she was called.

You're "supposed" to do a high-pitched sweetness voice, but I would say, "C'mere, cat" and she would pay attention. Felines are not famous for coming when you call, but she often did so. Other things she was called included Kitty, PayPay, Love Nugget, Belinda Boxdigger (for flinging litter), Gramma's Gurl, Baby, Hiss Machine, and others (but we didn't try to get her to respond to most). Basement Cat knew other words, such as food, treat, and water bowl.

She was a domestic longhair, and that hair regularly became troubling to her. We could see her become lethargic and actually seemed depressed. After the haircut, it was like we had the old cat back. Another word she knew was haircut, and we had to avoid it when the appointment was near. We had to be creative and even sneaky to put her in the carrier for the trip. She didn't make the association with feeling better the haircut. Indeed, it was a noisy ride: let me sing you the song of my people.When cats lay on their backs, it can be a warning of a problem, but it is usually a sign of contentment and trust. Not only that, but we could rub her throat and under her chin, which is another sign of trust. I could even stand there and "foot pet" her in my stocking feet (making sure to hang onto something so my weight didn't shift). We had many signs from her of not only affection, but of trust.She was proud of her tail and used it for expression. Like many cats, she would swish it back and forth when agitated. We had a couple of games with the tail. It would look like I was stepping on her tail, but my weight was on my heel and there was a gap. Not only would she bump her tail up and down between my foot and the floor, but if she moved out from under my foot, she would move the tail back again. Other times, the tail was waved in acknowledgement when I would say "kitty", "cat", and so on. We would repeat saying a name or title and for a while to watch her respond with a tail twitch or wave.

Diabetic

Having a pet is also taking on some responsibilities. We must care for them (Prov. 12:20) even when they are old and have infirmities. Basement Cat was becoming frequently sick with diarrhea and vomiting. She never seemed completely well in her adult years (I even made a birthday video a few years ago because I didn't know how long we would have her), so we thought these symptoms were a phase. Nope. The vet determined that she was diabetic. This meant that we had to give her insulin injections twice a day and buy rather expensive diabetic cat food. This stabilized her for a while.

First Major Illness

Thanksgiving was a thrill for her and she just loved to have turkey with us. Privileged Puss was a social animal, needing to eat with us.

In her younger years, she would even jump up on the dining room chair and inspect the food on the table. But that thanksgiving in 2017, she was less enthusiastic and slept more than usual. One night, I petted her and she was burning up with fever. An expensive trip to the emergency pet clinic ensued, followed by more vet visits. You can read more about this time, her recovery, and a link to a creation science article over at "How We Get Our Fabulous Feline Friends". Something I only told a few people, but I want to now: this cat was an inheritance of sorts that came to us when my wife's daughter died at age twenty seven. That connection between mother and daughter (as well as my own fondness for the cat) is another reason I was unwilling to give up easily. However, we always knew that she would have to go sometime.

Second Major Illness

Basement Cat had been coughing off and on for a year or more, and one vet dismissed it as dry air. It may have been the case at the time, but in May 2020 it became worse. Her breathing was also labored. We took her to the vet, had x-rays taken, and had to give antibiotics. She got worse. At this point, her breathing was even more labored, she was breathing with her mouth open, and not eating. Another visit and a stronger antibiotic.

On May 20, my wife and I agreed that she was suffering. I don't think she slept the last two days. Seeing all this had me in tears and in agonized prayer. The illness in 2017, it just felt wrong for her to go, and I believe that there was a miracle as well as with the medical science so we could have her with us another couple of years. This time, somehow I knew there would be no healing. I called and made the arrangement, then later got word that my wife's sister had passed away.

Nagging Doubts and then Confirmation

We wanted to know if we were being hasty. Would the cat recover again? Although we were reasonably certain, we wanted Dr. Cody to give one more look at her. She agreed that there was too much suffering, especially with the breathing. When it was all over, I said that she could open up the cat to investigate and in the interest of veterinary medical science. Oh, boy! Not only was there a golf ball-sized tumor in a lung, but there was fluid in the lungs that indicated a heart problem. If the fluid had been drained off through an invasive method, it would have only put off the problem for a little while. Yes, definitely, it was right that we ended it.I was allowed to be there for her to have that final injection (the
end came very quickly), and had my hand on her. She was probably unaware
of this, but I promise you that she knew my wife and I loved her. She
loved us as well, and the heck with naturalistic views that animals only
act out of functions or have no feelings.

Do Not Feel Guilty for Feeling Some Relief

This is an area that we have to deal with, not only with pets but also people. My wife and I have lost our parents, and her sister was suffering from an aggressive cancer. It is not a crime or a sin to feel relief — not only for them, but for ourselves. No more visits to nursing homes hoping we will be recognized as loved ones deteriorate, no more vet visits and financial expenditures, and so on. As Christians, we need to focus on the glory of God and be thankful for the time he has given us with those we have loved and have loved us.

Death and Suffering

Believers and unbelievers alike struggle with the question of why we deal with death and suffering if God created everything very good. From a biblical creation perspective, sin entered the world and death for humans and animals came with it (Gen. 3:17-19, Rom. 8:19-22, Rom. 5:12-21). Evolution and atheistic naturalism do not have the necessary preconditions of dealing with life, and only the biblical worldview has coherent answers. The subject of death and suffering has been dealt with many times, so I don't feel the need to "reinvent the wheel". However, there are some articles that I would like to suggest, and if you follow the links to those sites, you can also search them for more information:

Y'all may have cognated that this has been a very difficult article to write. It needed to be written, not only for me, but I hope that it may be useful to others. Also, my own days are numbered. So are yours. Not only do I have certain health issues, but I'm advancing in years. Eventually, the Trailmaster will say, "You're done there, Cowboy. Time to mount up and ride with me". I'm confident about my eternal destination, and think mayhaps that some of my furry friends will cross that Rainbow Bridge with me. If you're not absolutely certain of where you will go when your time comes, I implore you to make certain. Do it now.Here is a video I put together of Basement Cat. The first part where I am playing with her is rather loud. Unfortunately, if you want to hear her purring in the second part, you'll need to turn up the volume a mite:

Friday, May 1, 2020

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen When I heard about the video Planet of the Humans that was released free to the public, I had to check myself for consistency and minimize my personal hypocrisy. This movie challenged me to put things I've learned into practice.

Could I view this film honestly and objectively, putting my personal feelings aside? For that matter, could I accurately utilize the logic and critical thinking that I've been learning and teaching for several years? After all, far too many people (especially atheists and leftists) "think" with their emotions. The genetic fallacy involves rejecting something simply because of its source:

A high standard to set is to consider information and possibly learn something despite where it originated. (This can be adjusted when the source is demonstrably biased and unreliable: There's no point in seeking truth about Donald Trump from the New York Times or CNN, nor is accuracy about creation science to be found at Wikipedia or from Clinton Richard Dawins.) Planet of the Humans was sponsored by Michael Moore.This maker of documentaries is a hardcore leftist. Moore has praised Cuban healthcare, told numerous falsehoods about George W. Bush and the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, has railed against Donald Trump, and done other things to be obstreperous and obnoxious. It was not until the end credits that I realized that Michael was not the maker of the film, which was written, produced, and directed by environmentalist Jeff Gibbs. Moore is the executive producer and distributor.It was startling to learn that leftists attacked the film and even wanted it censored for supposedly uncovering falsehoods that are believed by the green energy environmental extremists. This really got my attention and brought up another personal consideration. Specifically, was I going to watch it because it might confirm my biases? While that motive is not always wrong, such thinking can be a prison for oneself. There are many things I've learned about environmental leftists, so when I saw the film, I was not surprised to have some of my knowledge confirmed. There were also some very interesting points made about the double standards and even outright deceptions of the green movement that were surprising. However, they seemed real enough and without the extreme emotional manipulation of those folks. Gibbs had some strong words against the "worst" of capitalism, which fits with the socialist message that Moore as promoted many times in the past. Was the evidence presented factual and accurate? That will be up to people who can honestly examine the material for refutation or affirmation.While the green movement seems to be more interested in making money and gaining political power than in promoting is unrealistic and unsustainable goals, that is what we can expect from people who do not have a biblical worldview. Jeff Gibbs seems to have leftist leanings along with Michael Moore, and do not seem to have room for the Creator in their beliefs. Yes, those of us who are Christians are supposed to care about the environment because we are stewards of God's creation.There was a bit of profanity in Planet of the Humans and an obviously secular view. Socialism was minimal, and I did not see any of the Orange Man Bad mantra of the left. I think I kept a balance of healthy skepticism and willingness to learn, and if other people watch it, I hope you can do the same. It was not easy to refrain from rejecting a Moore-backed film out of hand, though. Even so, I suggest that others watch Planet of the Humans and see how the worldview of Jeff Gibbs plays out. It probably will not be free forever, though, so you can learn more and watch it here.

Sunday, April 12, 2020

There have been disasters, wars, famines, diseases, and all sorts of disasters that can be traced back to the first sin in Eden. This is not to downplay the suffering and death associated with COVID-19. Why is this Coronavirus such an important matter, and what does Easter have to do with it?

Some events were sudden and then over, such as tsunamis or volcanic
eruptions. Others, such as the Black Death of the 1340s, lingered on and
killed millions. It is natural for people to wonder how their lives will change if they live through the circumstance. COVID-19 is something new in some ways (but the people during the Black Death probably thought the same thing), and we have had to alter our lifestyles. We do not know how long we will deal with the changes, and if there will ever be a semblance of normalcy again.It may be hard to believe at first glance, but this is not something that God cannot handle. (It is interesting to me that people use bad things in the world as an excuse to reject God, but they never use these as evidence for the existence of Satan. Just a thought.) Actually, this virus has already been defeated. Jesus died for our sins and those who repent can have eternal life. He also defeated death at the Resurrection. If you skip ahead to the end of the Book, there were be no more pain, sickness, and death.

Sickness, death, natural disasters, and human tragedy—everywhere we look, we see death and suffering. It is part of the human condition. There is no escaping it. And during this current COVID-19 pandemic, we are hearing about it every day. As we watch the news or read online updates about coronavirus/COVID-19, we see that the infection numbers and the death counts are rising daily. Current numbers show almost 1.5 million reported cases and over 80,000 deaths. This situation is a tragedy.

The question often asked is obvious: If God is truly all-powerful and loving, why doesn’t he put an end to death and suffering? Some even ask if he is incapable, questioning his power. Others ask if he is unwilling, questioning his goodness. But both of these questions are based on a false dichotomy: goodness cannot exist apart from justice. Would we call a judge “good” if he let violent criminals go free, with no consequences? Of course not!

Sunday, April 5, 2020

This is actually a funny series of inspirations. First of all, we are fine, no wicked viruses here mate.

Desperate for exercise (I work at home now), I wanted to walk to store and get some things. This is New York and the media panicporn is in high gear, so I didn't know if I would be walking into a police state atmosphere or terrified people. But I don't have a mask.

Okay, saw a video about making your own with a bandana, two rubber bands, and tucking it in. Didn't work they way it was designed (as a square), so I rotated it so the points were like a compass, due north was up, etc., and folded it that way. Then I tied it in the back, put on my hat, grabbed a shootin' iron, and had my wife take a picture. She was disappointed that shooting me was only with a camera, but oh well.

When I got to the shop, I was the only one wearing a mask. Social distancing as much as is reasonable in the small place. (Some were getting milk shakes...essential services...) It was a bit of an experiment anyway.

A guy I was working in the business establishment called me The Outlaw. Nah. If I changed my handle, I would be The Creation Cowboy. Anyway, my mind wandered. Outlaw...makeshift covid mask...I was given a wanted poster graphic recently...thinking, "Like a Covid Cowboy, riding out on a horse in a medical rodeo"...just having fun letting thought fragments cascade around. Finally, I went to PhotoFunia and made a graphic.

Sunday, March 29, 2020

by Cowboy Bob Sorensen, do not blame me for font and spacing weirdness Blogger/Google often does this.Edited 4-02-2020 While working for The Company, I wondered about "Work From Home" (WfH, which is known by similar names) and was told that it was a mite difficult. Difficulties had been solved and The Company began rolling out the program on a test basis with a select few who had stellar production and quality.

A bit later, they began to send people home a few at a time. Suddenly, The Company saw fit to remove people from the cube farm and send us away — probably because of COVID-19. That's fine from my perspective because I have a heart thing, diabetes, and I hit the six decades mark. Okay, now I have been up and running for a week.Truth is still truth if even if someone dislikes it. I'll say some things my superiors will not like, but their names are not in this. (Besides, people don't need to know that my primary job is venomous snake wrangling and data entry at Universal Widgets.) Essentially, The Company is profoundly cheap. When President Trump signed the tax cut bill, other companies were giving their employees raises and large bonuses. We had fundraisers to pay for our own perks. The IT people would foul something up and then refuse to fix it unless forced, telling us to use time-consuming workarounds. (Do they work for Facebook, too?) Maybe I'll give you the Department of Labor case number where they
were caught and penalized for cheating employees out of their wages, but
not today.There are many other examples that I may provide in subsequent articles, but in this case, we are expected to provide our own internet connection while other companies provided separate cable connections for their WfH employees. (Gotta pinch them rupees until Mahatma Gandhi screams in pain, don'tcha know.) Take note that I have many reasons to believe that this cable-sharing arrangement is definitely not a risk to secure data.

Providing Equipment

My own computer is a tower than runs Windows 7, and it has a bay for peripherals as well as a DVD-ROM. Don't be knocking my eMachine, it's been a workhorse for several years. I may have to get a new computer soon. The computer I received startled me because at first because it's the size of a modem. That is the size of the work computer, but without the other stuff that isn't necessary for this activity anyway. Had to plug in a monitor, keyboard, and mouse. I used my own shorter ethernet cable because the one they provided would have been far too long. Okay, this cowboy was ready to saddle up.

In the Environment

No, y'ain't going to see a picture, sorry. I used some desk space and had to figure out how to set up the system in this one-bedroom apartment. (Remember, this was a hurried thing and I didn't know what to expect.) Safe enough, we're on the second floor and nobody can see anything from outside. No cameras and telecommuting, so nothing important will be overheard. I had to use a laptop table that was conveniently available — well, my wife had to relocate the slow cooker — for the keyboard and mouse. Plus some adjusting of my chair and the chair mat on the carpet. That's all set.

Aside from a few differences logging in and signing on, the same desktop and applications appeared. This part was identical to working in the cube farm, which is nice because I didn't need to learning something new there. Although The Company is impinging on the internet connection that I pay for which is also used for my own computer's after-work activities, our Roku device, and so on, there doesn't seem to be a lag in connecting time for devices or processing the work. (Well, not everything is running at the same time, so maybe I'm ahead of myself on this point.) I was concerned that the cable company might give problems with data caps and such, but I don't foresee that happening.

Storm Clouds

Before I continue, I need to say that The Company is very large with multiple locations around the world. Dozens of others and I from this location are at the bottom of the food chain. We have team leads and so forth, followed by a supervisor, a manager above the supervisor, someone in charge of this location, and then even more "important" people farther away that probably could not do this work to save their lives. They are important according to The Company and worldly standards, but I, too, am created in God's image.

I have sympathy and respect for team leads, the supervisor, and the next manager up. While most of them care about us, they also have to deal with the "I'm rich and in charge, make me richer" mentality. If production standards aren't good enough or The Company made too many promises they couldn't keep, these folks have to be whip crackers. Then they have to look the people they depend on in the eye, including me when I have anxieties and issues. That management role is not the kind of position I want to be in.

Time Away from the Desk

The manager sent out a message on the instant messaging platform that over the past few days that uptime has dropped. Yes, we have to adjust, but get to work, no excuses. A day or two later, a very angry message came from the manager about a significant number of errors, which sounded like all of us are fouling up. That second message can be a separate post, so I will deal with the first one.

Uptime is a strange word that strikes me as counter-intuitive. It is a negative thing, and I have to think of it as up time, time
that workers are up and away from their computers. Like most companies,
we have two paid fifteen-minute breaks as well as a longer lunch break
(ours is unpaid). The Company also allows some additional time for trips
to the restroom, go to the coffee machine, quick phone calls, or
whatever. But Comrade Worker, you must keep up the standards.

"Get with the program, Cowboy Bob! Corporations are all greedy and squeeze their employees until they have nothing left, then replace them. It's the way of the business world."

Might doesn't make right, old son. There are higher principles that these people reject in their love of money and worldly things. By the way, didn't Lee Iacocca say that if give your employees your best, they'll give you their best? Not happening from the bean counters at the top of the food chain, nosiree.As an aside, because I am diabetic, I make frequent short trips to the restroom. My uptime should have improved because I do not have to make that long trek like before.

Consider all the Facts

Sure, I ride for the brand and try to meet the corporate standards. In fact, employers, I don't work for you. Yes, you sign the paycheck, but my Employer is above all y'all, and I want to glorify him most of all. Although I have knowledge and life experience, it was made clear to me years ago that I am unworthy to express or even have ideas on how to make improvements. But we are the people that you depend on who work in the trenches. We know some things. So I'll ask questions and make my thoughts known here.How were the production standards developed? I had asked a similar question of a previous manager ("he has decided to seek employment elsewhere", but we all know what that means) and what sample size was used, but he didn't know. Were the standards arbitrary, or were they based on actual production people? For that matter, which production people? Some know shortcuts (and even "cheats" better than others). Were the standards based on the best of the best? Everyone should have been included in serious testing conditions.This is the same cheap company that used unreliable software (which I had distrusted since I began this job) to cheat us out of our wages. The same company, same IT department, says people aren't working. Why should I trust that? Why should any manager trust thatSince we are using our existing internet connections that are usually through the cable company, there are variations in connectivity and speed. I had to reboot my modem and router twice because they need it on occasion. In addition, the servers we use have to connect with the servers of The Company, and there are interruptions. I suspect we may appear to be not working while the system is reconnecting. Part of that may be Wuhan Quarantine Internet Clogging (a term I made up, hope you like it). Many people are home and going online. Someone skilled in the nuts and bolts part of IT can correct me if I'm wrong about the internet overload.There are times we have to wait for team leads to check on certain issues because providers often have no idea how to fill out the forms, so they slap some mighty strange stuff in there. Send the code to the team lead, let him or her check it out and get back to us. The line from The Company is, "We take that into account". Yeah, sure. Corporate excuse that I don't accept.Related to that and to the issue of productivity is when we have to study the forms. Did Skippy write a 7, 9, 0, 6, or what? After some indecision, we call it illegible. But it took time. In this kind of work, you have people of many ages and in varying degrees of heath. Several of us have medical conditions (one had chronic heart problems and died at home from a heart attack a couple of weeks ago). I have said that The Company has a revolving door. People get hired and trained, then they find different jobs quick-like. Someone might way, "They didn't want to work!" Meadow muffins! That's an appeal to motive fallacy. Also upper management protects and attitude of, "The Company is a wonderful place to work. Don't you know who we are?" Yes, we do know who you are. Smell yourselves, drop your presuppositions, and see why you are losing good people.But we are really units, automatons, right? Gotta count them beans and pinch them rupees, never mind that even robots need maintenance. Yes, I'm resentful because people should be treated like people. No, not coddled, don't be disunderstanding me. We do want to work and be productive except for a few sluggards. Some of the immediate supervisors, those I deal with, have compassion, which is a rare commodity. Folks at the top of the food chain know about money but are unskilled in dealing with people.The whole world is adjusting to the novel virus now called SARS-CoV-2. Understanding, diagnosing, treating, testing (don't use faulty made-in-China tests and their ineffective face masks!),
quarantines, lock-downs, and more. The Company sent people home, and
most of the population of New York is at home, too. This includes
frustrated and bored schoolkids. I had no time to plan for my own set-up
(partly because I made inaccurate assumptions about what we would be using). Other people
had to make drastic adjustments in a mighty big hurry. No wonder the
uptime is somewhat lacking. It should improve, but don't be commencing with the forty lashes so soon.

As you can guess, this article has been building up for a while and current events are applicable. If I write more about this employer, this will be foundational. I expect that should someone from The Company happen on this, my concerns and observations will be rejected out of hand. Then I'll be fired out of retaliation. I'm just a cowboy that does the work and wants to not only glorify God but also please those who sign the paychecks. My sense of right and wrong are inapplicable to worldly people who consider us cogs in the wheel. Don't take the mark.

Maybe this missive will help other people learn how to treat employees.

Saturday, March 21, 2020

by Cowboy Bob SorensenBusiness often try to attract attention from prospective customers with advertisements and logos, but those efforts can be negated when the name is unimpressive. Some names resonate, but bad names can lead to catastrophic marketing systems failures. Names seem all right at first glance, but may put people off if they think about them.

This chicken is not impressed and has nothing to do with this article.Credit: Pixabay / Andy M

All y'all have probably seen pictures and lists of interesting names. Some are designed to get your attention with humor, others are unfortunate for various reasons. (My advice to people who want to use their name in their business but the name is a bit odd: reconsider, or play it up.) I come across interesting names in the course of my duties and wanted to pick on one in particular.No need to give you more than the word evolution. It is used as part of the name of several physical rehabilitation companies. While I have no idea if they are good at their jobs (they probably are), but having evolution in the name strikes me as humorous. In fact, they would be more accurate in using a name involving intelligent design. After all, therapists have to study to learn procedures, obtain licenses, and operate specialized equipment. In conjunction with universal common descent evolution, that would mean lots of time, chance, randomness, and so on. I can do that all by my lonesome and save money as well. There are also therapy services with Genesis in their names that would be more likely to attract me since it is the beginning and the Bible book talks of purpose, not disorder.

Saturday, February 15, 2020

by Cowboy Bob SorensenAre we dead yet? Are we dead yet? An asteroid was supposed to hit the earth and kill millions of people, and it missed us by a long shot. This has me on the prod. No, I was not hoping for massive destruction and the deaths of millions of people that would resemble Earth under ten years of leftist dominance. What bothers me is click bait.

Sensationalism sells. Good journalism and actual reporting, not so much. We saw it in the wold posts about President Trump, anthropogentic climate change, "proof of evolution" articles, among other things that don't tell the truth and ignore important facts. Many people are click bait masters, but social media didn't seem interested in suppressing the fake news."NASA warns..." No, not really.

This wicked video alarmed people, but I wonder if their comments were jokes or if they did not stay to the end. It was essentially a graphic representation of the Daily Express story linked just above. Shameful, but nice graphics.

Yes, the world is going to end in a big way, but on God's timetable. The possible good that can come out of scary things like this is that it can prompt people to consider their own mortality and where they will spend eternity.

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Something I have noticed for a long time is that leftist harassment of their opponents and the atheistic/evolutionist attacks on biblical creationists parallel each other. In fact, these kinds of things seem to be increasing. While leftists and atheists claim to believe in free speech, they only support speech (and thought) on subjects that meet with their approval. This adds to the importance of Question Evolution Day.

Intellectual Dishonesty

Maybe it's because of global warming, but more likely it's the commitment to naturalism that prompts the hands at the Darwin Ranch (up yonder near Deception Pass) to hide the truth about evolution. Darwin's handmaidens troll teh interwebs, gleefully attacking and ridiculing believers in biblical creation as well as Christians in general. Those sidewinders are intellectually dishonest, ignoring the fact that they know God does indeed exist (Roman 1:18-23) and refusing to examine additional evidence when presented.

I reckon that ridicule is a cheap way of silencing us when legislation is too slow and violent persecution is still illegal. If you study on it a mite, you'll see that the desired effect is to negate the opposition. Atheopaths ridicule creationists and Christians, and appeal to the pride of onlookers, such as, "You don't want to pay attention to these people because they believe ridiculous things, and us smart fellers believe in science!" Instead of seeing the bigotry and fallacies in remarks of this nature, people can bolster their egos by agreeing with fools (Psalms 14:1, Proverbs 1:8).

Startling Parallels

While listening to podcasts and things at the workplace, I have been
amazed many times at the parallels between what creationists experience
and happenings in the political realm. This section could easily become excessively long, so I will keep it to just a few examples.Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi childishly tore up the printed copy of President Trump's State of the Union address. She said that she could find nothing truthful in it (which is a lie) but she also pre-ripped the speechbefore she had even heard it. Based on her desire for power and hatred of President Trump, she was unwilling to find anything in the speech she liked. Economic gains and record unemployment are not things that leftists cheer about because it hinders their lust for power.Atheists and evolutionists demand evidence for God and for creation, and they want it on their terms. I've got some bad news for you, Sunshine, the Creator of the Universe who was crucified for our sins and bodily arose on the third day isn't interested in your demands. He has done his part — and more. The evidence is there, and scientific evidence not only refutes evolution but also affirms special creation. For more about atheopaths rejecting evidence and being obstreperous, click on "First Degree Atheopathy".Fake Conservative Jennifer Rubin was ridiculing Trump's lawyers and saying that the Chief Justice was not a "real judge". The people she mocked were eminently qualified, but Rubin humiliated herself with her risible comments. Why were they targets of her ridicule "unqualified"? Because they were not supporting leftist causes. Similarly, leftists refuse to accept the verdict for Trump's acquittal because "it was not a fair trial". The entire impeachment was partisan, and there were no actual charges filed, but simply vague witch hunt vagaries. There are many scientists who are creationists, both past and present. Yet atheopaths and fundamentalist evolutionists will say creationists are not "real" scientists based on worldviews, not on capabilities or credentials. Biblical creationists, like their secular counterparts, have disagreements on details of various scientific models and such, but they agree that the Bible is inerrant. Materialists despise anyone who does not hold to their narrow view, so they indulge in dismissing creationists as scientists.Intellectually dishonest people use such manipulation to negate and silence us because they cannot deal with the facts. Ridicule is one of those methods. At the leftist CNN television show with Don Lemon, a tirade was launched against Donald Trump supporters. Apparently we're all a bunch of ignorant rubes with Southern United States accents (thereby insulting millions of Southerners), and we must think we're elite while hiding our envy for the real elite, who are leftists. Not hardly!In the same way, misotheists attack creationists and Christians by saying that we are ignorant but they are Hanuman the Monkey God's gift to humanity. However, even a cursory knowledge of science, logical fallacies, theology, and what creationists actually believe and teach equips us to see through their foolishness and bullying tactics.

Big Differences

When B. Hussein Obama was elected, Republicans and Conservatives were not burning cars, smashing windows, murdering police officers, demanding censorship, and other malarkey. Don't believe me? Look these things up — but the leftist media does not deal with such things much, so you'll have to use alternative news media that tells the truth. Also, a Bernie Sanders staffer is in favor of gulags and reeducation camps. Caliph Obama had a kill list called the "disposition matrix". Worse yet, leftists use climate change hysteria so they can scare children and use them as tools:

These sidewinders are not interested in bettering their countries or the world. It's all about power and money. They are creepy as well as dangerous.

Having a Voice and Preserving our Freedoms

Having a say in important matters is no longer the realm of those who are established authors, politicians, legislators, pastors, and so on. The internet has also given a voice to the rest of us. It is important to become involved in #questionevolutionday (hashtags are important on social media), even if it is simply posting or sharing creation science material. An inquiring evolutionist may stop to consider what we have to say and question evolution, then follow the links to resources. Ultimately, they may come to faith in Jesus Christ.We have free speech for now, but anyone who has paid attention to the media (including material on The Question Evolution Project, Piltdown Superman, Stormbringer's Thunder, and others) knows that our rights may be kicked to the curb at any time. QED is for almost everyone, and there is no financial outlay or sign-up. Since we have the freedoms, we should use them while we can. Other Christians are not so fortunate.

Environmentalist nuts are angry that he does not fall for their global warming pressures and rejected the ridiculous Paris Accord, and the US is better on the environment than India, China, and the like

He doesn't roll over and play dead when the leftist media and politicians lie about him

Voting fraud is rampant such as voting under names of dead people and busing illegals to the polls), so when Democrats claim that Shrillary won the popular vote (read: dominated by large urban centers and not the rest of the country), I lack belief that this is accurate

The President is very strongly pro-life — which is probably the biggest reason leftists hate him

Someone said they won't play Bridge because it has trump cards. If that is true, it would not be a surprise.

Most atheists are leftists (a few are Conservatives), and Conservatives are more likely to stand for values that leftists hate. (Chris Plante said, since they hate God, then dog is their co-pilot). They not only hate President Donald J. Trump, they hate us as well. They are intellectually challenged and morally bankrupt, saying anything to demonize Trump voters — millions of us.

There are some long-running political shows on television, Face the Nation and Meet the Press that used to be respected. I've heard them called "Meet the Depressed" and "Face the Meat". Anyway, I heard about Meet the Press where the host Chuck Todd had dredged up a letter to the editor of a Kentucky newspaper that claimed to understand why people vote for Trump. The best discussion of this can be found on The Briefing by Dr. Mohler. The writer said that Trump supporters "have been trained from childhood to believe in fairy tales".

People who respect logic should be irritated at the fallacious claims because they utilize the straw man fallacy and sweeping false generalizations. It also stinks of prejudicial conjecture and is blatant bigotry. Does that tinhorn even know what fairy tales involve?

The fairy tale aspect is easily dismissed by comparing actual fairy tales with the Bible. You will find detailed, accurate history in the Bible and see that it reads quite differently from fairy tales.

In a similar way, myths and legends are usually vague and unbelievable; I wonder if people actually believed the tales of the Sumerian, Greek, Scandinavian, or other gods. Compare the Epic of Gilgamesh with the Genesis Flood account, for instance. Dr. Ben Scripture has a radio show and podcast where he and Scott Kump did a three-part series comparing the creation myths with the Genesis narrative, and you can easily spot the differences.

Again, leftists hate God as well as Conservative values and the positions that President Trump upholds. Instead of winning elections through better ideas and policies, they demonize the opposition. Using intellectual and moral bankruptcy masquerading as reason and moral superiority, they simply attack. Some of us still think for ourselves and can see their foolishness for what it is.